


Bucket Lists and Blind Dates

by lotusk



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Awkwardness, Blind Date, Eventual Romance, Fluff, M/M, Mpreg, Romance, Shyness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-10 21:44:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5602144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lotusk/pseuds/lotusk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kyungsoo is nervous enough about going on a blind date, but when his date turns out to be pregnant, he really doesn’t know what to do!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bucket Lists and Blind Dates

 

 

Kyungsoo fussed with the buttons on his black linen shirt, for what seemed like the 250th time. Part of him was looking forward to meeting someone new while another part of him—the obnoxiously loud part—was worried he'd just signed up for an evening of excruciating stretches of awkward silence. 

But he was probably overthinking things. His blind date might turn out to be a really nice guy. It could happen. But Baek had been so unhelpful and secretive: _His name is Jongin and he’s 23. Tall, good-looking, charming. A mouth like yours._ As descriptions went, it was pretty damned useless, but he'd decided to take the plunge anyway. He'd had his nose in the books for months and he couldn't even remember the last time he'd gone on a date. Definitely not anytime this year.

So that was how he'd ended up sitting in this intimately lit Italian bistro, fiddling with his buttons as he waited for his mystery date to arrive. They'd exchanged a couple texts earlier in the day, where Jongin had informed him that he'd made a 7 pm reservation under his name at La Trattoria. Kyungsoo had learnt two new things about Jongin—that he wrote polite, congenial messages and that his surname was Kim. It was. . .something, he supposed. 

“Kyungsoo? Do Kyungsoo?” A deep, low voice interrupted his thoughts. Caught off-guard, Kyungsoo stood up—the legs of his chair skidding noisily on the Mediterranean tiled floor.

By reflex, Kyungsoo held his hand out for a handshake and greeted the handsome newcomer. “Hi, you must be J—” he began, but never finished his sentence as his eyes fell on the man's unmistakably pregnant belly. “I—I'm Kyungsoo. Nice to meet you,” Kyungsoo said at last because he was too shocked to come up with anything more coherent. He was going to strangle Baek for not warning him! He'd expected his blind date to be a whole list of possible things but pregnant had been nowhere on that list. And his date was definitely pregnant—like maybe six months in.

“Hi! Thanks for making it out here,” Jongin smiled as he took Kyungsoo's hand in a secure, firm grip. He really was very good-looking, just as Baek had described. Kim Jongin was around six feet tall, with striking coffee-colored eyes, a generous mouth (that was much prettier than his), and an elegant, strong jaw. 

“It's my first ever blind date so I almost didn't. Didn't make it I mean,” Kyungsoo blurted out in a spate of nervousness.

“Well that makes two of us on the first blind date thing. But anyway, let me just sit down first,” Jongin said as he lowered himself onto his seat—maneuvering carefully so he could avoid the edge of the table. 

Kyungsoo had this sudden and inexplicable urge to walk over to the other side and help Jongin into his chair. Gah, he had no clue what to do. Was he supposed to ask when the baby was due? Or would that be rude and inappropriate (never mind that he was actually dying to know)? Why was Jongin even dating when he was expecting a child? And where was the father? The questions were whooshing through Kyungsoo's head so fast they were giving him whiplash. 

Kyungsoo knew his own candid nature very well; he knew he wouldn't be able to hold back the questions. They would eventually spill out of his mouth like awkward little conversational bombs as the evening progressed—whether he wanted them to or not. He could only hope that Jongin wouldn't be completely put off.

“So this is your first blind date too?” Jongin asked. He looked so. . .calm as he sat there in his white, mandarin-collared tunic, which had been cut and tailored to accommodate his pregnancy bump—his right palm spread over it in a protective gesture.

“It is my first time actually. I don't get out much,” Kyungsoo admitted a little sheepishly. “I'm on a scholarship and I need to maintain a high GPA so I guess I study a bit too much,” he said, shrugging. “This blind date is Byun Baekhyun’s way of forcing me off the campus, and it still took him the whole semester to convince me. How about you? How did you end up here?”

“See, I have this list of things I need to do—” 

“You mean like a bucket list?”

“Yeah, just like a bucket list. Except I'm giving myself three years to tick everything off the list,” he said, smiling. Kim Jongin had the most devastating smile. Fine laugh lines appeared at the corner of his eyes like they were old friends who visited often, and his eyes were open and friendly. His smile infected Kyungsoo with a warmth and appetite for life he hadn't experienced in a long time. Where had all his energy gone? He must have lost it somewhere amidst the words and numbers that lined the pages of university textbooks.

“Three years isn't much time. Isn't that a lot of pressure?” Kyungsoo was perplexed by the tight deadline. Weren't you supposed to take the rest of your life to get shit done? 

“Excuse me, sirs, I'll just leave the menus with you, and I'll be back to take your orders later,” the lanky waiter announced in a polite, baritone voice before bowing and vanishing discreetly. 

“Is there anything um. . .special that you have to take because of your, your—” Kyungsoo tried but he couldn’t quite get the word out. 

“My condition? My pregnancy?” Jongin asked, his face a confection of amusement and curiosity.

“I’m sorry, that was. . .I wasn’t trying to be rude but yeahhh, that’s how I am. I should warn you now that I’m a pathologically awkward person. I say a lot of awkward shit, and it’s not something I can really help.” It all came out in an unhappy rush but Kyungsoo was kind of relieved to have it out in the open.

“God, don’t apologize for saying what you think.” Jongin said quickly, giving him a reassuring look. “Believe me, it’s better than when people give me judging looks or accuse me of messing up my future getting pregnant so young. Or when people ask me to get rid of it. Or when people walk on eggshells because they think I can’t handle being asked about my pregnancy,” Jongin sighed. 

“That sounds kinda rough.”

“It can get exhausting. And last but not least, there are people who act like I’m not pregnant. Like if they pretend hard enough, the pregnancy will actually go away. Most people in my life don't get it, and it can get pretty lonely, Kyungsoo. So please, _don’t apologize_ for being considerate.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo nodded. It sounded like Jongin hadn’t had the easiest time with the pregnancy and he felt oddly protective of him. He vowed that for this blind date at least, he would do his best to pamper Jongin.

* * *

Jongin was recounting a story about how he'd rope swung into a lake a year ago—before he'd gotten pregnant. His face and voice radiated so much energy and excitement as he described sailing through the air and the slight pain as he’d made impact with the water.

“Have you tried doing that? I mean everyone's jumped into the water but swinging from a rope isn't quite the same! The sensation of falling through the air—” Jongin was gesticulating again and as he spoke of falling. As he watched Jongin’s eyes brighten with excitement, Kyungsoo felt the bottom of the floor drop from beneath his feet. He felt like he was falling. . .and it had nothing to do with ropes and water.

Wondering if Jongin would agree to take this blind date beyond just an item on his bucket list, Kyungsoo reached for his macchiato and took a hopeful sip.

* * *

“It's okay to ask, you know,” Jongin said in a subdued, mellow voice. Too late, Kyungsoo realized he'd been staring openly at Jongin's hand as it stroked his belly—making hypnotic, rhythmic circles that had enthralled him completely.

“Sorry, I-I'm not sure what you mean?” Kyungsoo stammered, cursing himself inwardly for getting caught staring.

“You can ask me why I decided to get pregnant at my age. Why I switched courses from Engineering to English. Why I'm giving myself three years to complete my bucket list. You can ask.”

Kyungsoo looked up to find Jongin watching him intently. For the first time that evening, Jongin had a quiet, serious expression on his face. Kyungsoo didn't know how it was possible that Jongin could have become even more luminous and beautiful, but he had. And he knew, with increasing certainty, that this couldn't be the last time he'd ever see Jongin. He needed to see him again. 

_But what if he doesn't want to see you again, Do Kyungsoo?_

"I won't lie, Jongin. I've been asking myself those questions all night. . .but it just seems rude to ask such personal questions when we've just met. Not that I wouldn't have asked them anyway because I have this bad habit of asking people awkward questions." Kyungsoo gave a slightly embarrassed sigh.

"I don't usually tell people why I've done the things I have, even when they ask. Because it's none of their business," Jongin admitted.

"It's really none of my business either," Kyungsoo pointed out as his cheeks grew hot, "so I shouldn't even be asking."

"But _I_ want you to know. That's the difference, I guess." Jongin leaned back in his chair, and the muted lighting in the bistro cast soft shadows on his face, making him look tired. They'd finished their tiramisu at 8.45 so it had to be past 9 now. Was Jongin tired? Kyungsoo remembered the time his mom has been pregnant with his little brother Sehun. She used to fall asleep in front of the TV after dinner, and his dad would wake her up and help her to the bedroom. She was usually in bed before 9pm for most of her pregnancy. 

Did pregnant men get tired the same way women did? He'd asked her once, why she was always sleepy now that she was pregnant and she'd told him about hormones and the body getting ready for pregnancy and childbirth. He was eight so a lot of it had gone over his head, and he never took high school biology. Pregnancy was just something he'd decided he would deal with when he was ready to be a father. He'd always planned on 28 being the right age, so why was he staring across the table at Jongin and thinking that he wouldn't mind being a father to his child at the age of 24? Kyungsoo didn't believe in love at first sight, and yet the edges of his heart felt all crumbly and soft. This wasn't like him at all.

"Is it getting too late for you? If you're tired, we can—"

"I'm fine, Kyungsoo. I'm in my second trimester and that's not as exhausting as the first three months. Also, nausea is not a thing anymore, thank God. So now I can eat without feeling like I’m going to die afterwards." Jongin chuckled and that helped dispel the air of seriousness that had begun to settle on their conversation.

"I hope you had someone to um. . .help you with all that?"

"You mean a boyfriend? Or a husband? Noooo. I went for artificial insemination. It made more sense because I wanted a baby, not a relationship.” 

“Oh,” Kyungsoo said quietly. His emotions were a huge, conflicted tangle of relief and disappointment. On the one hand, he was relieved there was no actual father in the equation, but on the other, Jongin had also said he didn’t want a relationship. 

“I’m not the kind of person who drifts into relationships. There has to be some kind of connection, some kind of attraction, or else there’s no point. And when I decided to get pregnant, there was no one in my life I felt connected to. I wasn’t going to force a relationship just because I wanted to have a child. It would just have led to other problems, I think. Does that make sense?” Jongin sounded calm but his grip on the white porcelain teacup was tighter than it could have been. 

“Absolutely. But raising a child on your own. . .won’t that be tough too?” 

Jongin gave a self-deprecating laugh, “I’m terrified I’ll mess up completely. But I also want this baby more than anything so I’ll make it somehow.”

“Why didn’t you wait till you finished college at least?” 

“Something happened two years ago that made me realize that I didn’t want to keep postponing things. That I had to grab all the experiences I could while I could,” Jongin explained. Then he grinned sheepishly, “Sorry for sounding like I’m quoting lines from a self-help book or some sappy telco ad.” 

“Oh my God, you don’t! But anyway, what happened?” Kyungsoo didn’t even try to hide his curiosity.

“I had a ruptured appendix and it almost killed me. So while I was recovering in hospital, I decided I would do things differently when I got back on my feet again—live each day like I might die the next. So I switched to English and I love it. I was really dialling it in with Engineering. I only did it because my parents thought it was a good idea. Lucky for me, they’ve been pretty supportive about everything. I guess I really scared them with the almost dying part—for which, I’m sorry. Then I came up with a bucket list and getting pregnant was item number 5. Going on a blind date is number 16, so that’s where I am now. I have another 12 months to get to number 25!” 

“That’s amazing, Jongin. Well, not the part about almost dying! But yeah. . .I wish I had your kind of courage.” Kyungsoo gave him a look of intense admiration before adding, “All I do is study and do assignments and take exams and sleep and play DotA. And wow, summing my life up in one sentence like that makes it sound like the worst kind of lame.” He slumped in his chair just a fraction and Jongin reached across the table to take his hand. His tanned, long fingers felt so warm and comforting as they wrapped around his own. 

“It’s not lame, Kyungsoo. You just need someone to drag you out into the sunlight every now and then,” he said, smiling.

“I’m very set in my ways. It took Baekhyun more than two months to get me off the campus. He tried all kinds of things,” Kyungsoo said, laughing. “I’m still not sure why I agreed to come on this blind date, but you know what? I have no regrets. And I’m glad I met you, Jongin.” 

“I’m glad I met you too, Kyungsoo,” Jongin said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. Why hadn’t he let go of his hand yet? Kyungsoo was just about the most unromantic, unsentimental person on earth, but Jongin’s touch was making his heart flutter. No matter what, Kyungsoo knew he would ask to see Jongin again. Jongin might say no, but he had to at least try. 

“I’m curious. . .why did you tell me your story? I mean we just met and you didn’t have to share anything with me.”

“Because I wanted you to know what you were getting into.”

“Getting into? I don’t understand?” Kyungsoo frowned in confusion.

“Well, I've gone on a blind date and checked another item off my bucket list, but I’d like to see you again, if that’s okay with you. And this isn't for the bucket list, this is just for me. Would you go out with me again, Kyungsoo? On an honest-to-goodness second date? Nothing to do with bucket lists or blind dates, just you and me. I know it’s a lot to ask when I’m…well, how I am,” Jongin gestured vaguely at his baby bump and Kyungsoo gave a delighted laugh. 

“I was going to ask you out myself, but I guess you beat me to it,” Kyungsoo couldn’t help grinning as he held on tight to Jongin’s hand.

“If you have no objection, I was thinking we could go for a picnic in the park. That way I can cross item number 17 off my list while we’re at it,” Jongin suggested, his eyes crinkling with mischief. 

“I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted that I’m being used to strike another item off your bucket list,” Kyungsoo said with a mock glare.

“Flattered. Definitely flattered,” Jongin insisted, giving him the warmest, most devastating smile and Kyungsoo knew he would not be walking out of this restaurant with his heart still in his own possession.

 

~ **fin**

 

A/N: This is the first time I’ve ever tried writing an mpreg fic and I hope it went okay. . .Comments and kudos are much appreciated <3

**Author's Note:**

> a very belated birthday fic for bookishvice


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